Life in Cole world: Junior basketball player hopes to lead team to success

Playing against Monta Vista for the championship game for the Prospect tournament last December, the boys’ varsity basketball team was up by two with 5 seconds left in the game in the fourth quarter. 

Monta Vista inbounded the ball and out of desperation,         shot a half-court shot. As the buzzer rang, the ball swished through the net. The Falcons lost 49-50 because of the desperation 3-pointer.

Ever since that crushing defeat, junior basketball player Michael Cole has worked his hardest each day to improve his game. 

Cole is the team’s starting point guard. The best parts of his game are his shooting and ability to drive to the basket, but he thinks he could still improve his dribbling and defense. Standing at 5 feet 10 inches, Cole often has an advantage because of his quickness.

“[My height] makes it harder for me to score around the rim, especially when there are other tall centers in the middle [of the paint] waiting to block your shot,” Cole said. “Although at the same time, my height allows me to fast and quick, which gives me an advantage over many players.”

Cole started playing organized basketball in sixth grade because all of his older siblings played high school basketball, and he wanted to be like them.

“I love the competition of basketball the most,” Cole said. “I am very competitive, and I love competing against others and testing my skills.”

According to Cole’s teammate, senior center Kevin Chun, Cole is a huge part of the team. 

“He is the leading scorer for the team and is a very skilled shooter, best on the team,” Chun said. “He sometimes gets too hard on himself when he makes a mistake, but other than that, he is fun to be around and a great basketball player.”

Cole’s parents fully support his basketball and frequently come to his games to cheer him on.

“My parents encourage me to play basketball as they find it very entertaining to watch, and they love coming to my games,” Cole said. “They also like the work ethic that basketball has gotten into me.”

Cole’s role model is Warriors’ point guard Stephen Curry, and he loves to watch him play.

“[Curry is an] amazing point guard with incredible scoring ability and knows how to get his teammates involved as well,” Cole said. “[He is] relentless and will do anything to win, which is what I admire about him.”

During the spring, Cole plays for the Amateaur Athletic Union for “more practice and for an opportunity to play better teams.”

Outside of school practices, Cole goes to the weight room several times a week and goes to the basketball courts to work on other skills such as dribbling and shooting. The team’s new coach, Temo Barrera, said he can also see the dedication in Cole.

“Michael is the definition of a student athlete,” Barrera said. “It is a pleasure to coach a player who is not only passionate about the game, but is willing to put in the work on the fundamentals in order to improve his skill level.”

Last year, Cole suffered a sprained ankle. As a result, Cole wore an ankle brace every time he played for about six months.

“I hate getting injured so I am very careful about what I do and how I treat my body,” Cole said. “ Whenever I am sore or I get injured I make sure to rest it and be careful not to further injure it.”

Injuries aside, Cole likes the team’s chances this year.

“I think that the team will be pretty good this school year [and we] feel confident going in to the season,” Cole said. “We want to really control the game when it comes to offense since we are clearly not a very tall team.”

Thinking down the road, Cole hopes to play in college. 

“I expect a lot of myself and I hope to be able to play in college, but I will not be too bummed out if that does not work out,” Cole said.